Lily, Lily, Lily.
Why was she everywhere I went?
"Why is she being given my position, Trevor? Am I not doing enough?"
Trevor sighed. "You know you're one of our best, Emelia. And I really am sorry, but Mr. Russo made it perfectly clear that this decision was his—you know I can't refute his word."
I knew Victor’s words couldn't be swayed by anyone.
Still, I could maybe accept someone else getting the promotion, but not Lily. Especially since she only got the position because of her connections, and not because she was qualified.
It also didn't help that she and Victor had secrets between them I knew nothing about…
"Are you alright? You look a little unwell." Trevor asked.
"I’m fine, I just need a moment." I responded. "Do you mind if I go back to my office?"
"Of course, I know it's a lot to take in." Trevor looked at me with concern. "But don't be too upset, okay? Stuff like this happens all the time. After all, she’s the CEO’s friend. It's normal for some people to have more privileges than others."
I held my tongue but nodded my head in acknowledgment.I would accept this as "normal" if only she wasn't gaining more privileges and favoritism than the CEO's wife…
After all, it was my design that was chosen to flagship the new season, and Victor still gave my position away to Lily. It felt like he'd slapped me in the face.
Lily had to be more important than what Victor was letting on. She had to have been more than just a childhood friend. There was no other way around it.
I retreated to my office, I needed time alone to recollect myself and my thoughts. As I turned to close my blinds, I saw my colleagues whispering to each other as they looked towards my office.
It seemed like the news broke out already.
Heat rose to my cheeks as I closed the blinds and sank onto my chair. I let out a deep sigh and closed my eyes.
My few seconds of respite was annoyingly interrupted when a knock came at my door. I ignored it. Then there was another. It was like nails scratching against a chalkboard.
After I hadn't answered the first two times, I heard the click of my door opening. I stood up quickly and whipped my body around, ready to push whoever invaded my privacy out of my office.
But it was Victor. Was silence in my own office now suddenly a luxury? "What do you want?"
"Emelia, I came to talk to you about Lily. I know Trevor told you about my decision."
I didn't even want to face Victor right now. Especially not after what happened last night, and how he sided with Lily without even hearing me out.
Despite that, I knew there was no avoiding the current issue. So, I had to set aside the old problem for now and face this new one.
"What could you possibly say that could make this situation any better?"
"I fail to see why you're so angry with this." Victor's tone was indifferent.
I scoffed. "You made the decision to give my promotion to Lily, who isn't even qualified to do it!"
"Lily just needs a job, okay? This really isn't that big of a deal, Em. You'll see a salary increase as compensation, since you'll still be a part of the project anyway." Victor cocked his head to the side. "Seriously, you don't need to get so wound up over this."
It wasn't about the money, or even the promotion itself. It was about the fact that Victor was just casually giving Lily everything and doing so much for her.
And she was supposed to be just a friend.
"You've lied about her, you've prioritized her feelings and her words over mine… How long will it be until you replace me with her?!" I almost yelled.
Victor groaned. "Where are you getting these crazy ideas from, Em? I'm not replacing anyone—especially you. You know this company is just as much yours as it is mine with how much work you've put into it."
"Don't lie to me now. You're horrible at it." I rolled my eyes. "Besides, I’m nothing more than just another employee; I don't even own any of the stocks. There's no way we ‘share’ this company."
“I can give you shares, Em.” Victor said without hesitation.
He had proposed the idea so quickly that I didn’t have time to process it.
My jaw dropped and my eyebrows shot up. Even just 1% stakeholding was a fortune that ordinary people couldn’t reach.
I'd never once asked him for shares of the company—it never even crossed my mind.
“I am not a liar. We are married. Everything we have is shared.” Victor said softly as he pulled me into his arms.
His attitude made me hesitate again. The shares in Victor’s company were worth a fortune. If he was willing to just give them to me, did that mean his heart was with me?
Just as I thought to ask about Lily, my door suddenly swung open. It was like me thinking of her summoning her presence at my office door.
Lily wore a fake smile. "I hope I’m not interrupting anything!"
If she actually meant those words, she wouldn’t have just barged into my office like that…
"Oh, Lily!" Victor seemed just as surprised. "I wasn't expecting you to be out of the hospital so soon."
"Well, I heard that you were being your usual gentleman-like self and had arranged a job for me to work with you!" Lily's smile was wide. "So, I told the nurses I had some very important business to attend to, and they discharged me."
Even though no nurse would've discharged her so easily if her injuries were as bad as Victor thought they were.
Lily rushed to Victor's side. She took his free hand in hers and looked up at him with a concerned expression.
Were they used to being so intimate with one another?
"But enough about me—I heard what you said, Victor. I know it may not be my place to say this, but I think you really should reconsider giving company shares to Emelia. Company shares hold a lot of weight and are of great importance. From my understanding, Emelia is only an employee, which is completely different from a real leader."
Lily's professional and eloquent tone stunned me. She spoke as if she held a managerial position with the company.
Did she think she was hired to be my supervisor? Or did she think she was Victor's equal?
"Lily, don’t speak that way about Emelia." Victor stopped her.
"Vic, I know this may be inappropriate but I'm telling the truth! It's irresponsible to hand something as important as company shares to any employee." Lily criticized.
"Perhaps I should clarify that Victor is willing to give me these shares because I'm his wife—and not just some "employee". Is that a problem?" I couldn’t bear her criticisms of me anymore; especially since she knew nothing about me or my work ethic.
“Well, of course it's a problem. You’re not qualified to acquire so many shares!” Lily targeted me.
“That’s enough. Lily! ” Victor snapped. “Don’t speak to Emelia in that manner. She happens to be one of the best in this company. If anything, she deserves the shares.”
An apologetic expression was quickly on Lily’s face. "I–I am sorry! I'm not meaning to discredit her; I'm just thinking about you and all the hard work you've put into the company!"
I raised a brow. Even if Lily's comments were wildly out of place, I considered that maybe she was simply being showing attention to detail.
Maybe was simply taking her new job seriously. Should I have shown more appreciation towards her efforts?
Victor gently stroked the back of my hand to try and ease my nerves.
"These shares are something that I'm willing to give Emelia." Victor explained calmly. "Your comment, like you said, was completely inappropriate. This isn't just about business, but a testament to our relationship and what we've built."
I was glad that I finally turned the tide.
Lily’s voice wavered. “I’m sorry, I understand. I just… I thought we were still…” Her words were left to hang.
Still what?
“Lily, I'm sorry if I was being too strict. I know you're just being thoughtful but you don’t need to worry about me. I know what I'm doing.”
I didn't understand why Victor couldn't seem to maintain his demeanor. It was almost as if he thought Lily couldn't handle any type of criticism or accountability.
"It's just… You always used to be so worried about me; that hasn't changed since we were kids. So, I can't help but worry about you sometimes." Lily gave Victor a meaningful smile as her gaze lazily drifted towards me.
I really wasn't in the mood to hear about their childhood together at all. "Well, it's a good thing Victor is a grown man who knows how to take care of himself." I interjected.
Victor nodded his head at me and turned his attention back to Lily.
I forced a smile at his stubbornness. I just didn't understand how he couldn't see that the choices he was making affected me so deeply.
We were supposed to be a team.
Lily then turned her full attention to me. "Well, I hope we can work well together moving forward! I know I talk about this a lot, but Victor has always been like this—protective and considerate. He's always taken care of everything for me, which was why he arranged for me to come work here!"
"I just hope we won't have any more issues down the road. I hope I didn't come off as judgmental or anything," She said, her voice sounding sweet. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble."
"Oh, but what am I saying?" Lily's smile grew even wider. "How could I possibly cause trouble at a company that was made for me?"
Emelia's POVI had to shake my head to force myself out of the shock of Lily's wrath. Once I'd come to my senses, all I saw was red. The flames of my own rage fanned in my chest, but I had to exercise some caution.Lily could do whatever she wanted to dig her hole deeper, but I needed to handle this like an actual adult.No matter how much I wanted to slap the absolute hell out of her."I hope you're ready to pay for all of this." I stated coldly. "Everything you've broken, and all the slander you've attempted against my employees and company—I'm pursuing legal action for it all."Lily thrashed against the security guards who held her arms. "If anyone's paying, it's YOU!" She shouted. "I am Victor Russo's WIFE! Do you think you can get away with mistreating the wife of the most powerful and influential CEO in all of Greenport? No one treats ME like this! I WILL RUIN YOU!"Extra security had come in at this point as they formed a barricade between us and the rest of the crowd. Their mur
Emelia's POVMy head began to pound from all of Lily's yelling, which didn't help things since I already wasn't feeling good. What kind of game was she playing at making a scene like this?Did she not learn her lesson from the other day?Oh, who was I kidding?She never seemed to learn any of her lessons because that would require an ounce of accountability!I took a deep breath, and rolled my shoulders. The headache was coming quickly, but I needed to get Lily out of my store."These clothes weren't produced by this company," I stated flatly. "Even if they were, you refuse to show me the order receipt. So, unless you tell me the truth and cooperate with me, you won't be getting your money back at all."Lily's eyes narrowed as her nostrils flared. "How dare you! Who do you think you are talking to me like—""You were never even here."Lily and I looked around to see another one of my employees who came up to the desk. He wore a tired, but irritated expression while he placed the counte
Emelia's POVMy dad took my hand and his and gave it a tight squeeze. Before any words could come out of his mouth, he coughed. Once, twice, and then a concerning amount until he lost his wind. After a few deep, stabilizing breaths, he finally offered a weak smile. "Of course your grand opening was a success..." His voice was hoarse but filled with pride. "You're my daughter—success runs in the family! I'm so proud of you, my sweet girl." "You were always meant for great things." My mom wiped a tear from her cheek as she pulled me in for a hug. I had to hold back a few of my own, but it was inevitable while I melted into the loving embrace of my parents. "It m-means a lot to have you both in my corner to support me." "We wouldn't be anywhere else, sweetie." My mom smiled.I was truly fortunate enough to have parents who supported me unconditionally.They put me through college, even though it meant that they both had to work full-time jobs. They volunteered as models for some of my
Victor's POVThe image of Emelia's lips against another man's was branded into my mind like a horrible memory. It hurt to think about, yet it was all I saw—even when I closed my eyes.After Lily lied to me about what happened at the store, I intended to ask Emelia myself about what happened. I wanted the truth, and I knew that she would give that to me since my supposed wife was incapable of doing such.But when I called the store, they told me Emelia had already left. Then when I went to her office, I was told she wasn't there. They told me she had gone on a "date".A DATE!It was like a squeeze to the heart when I heard those words. Who was she seeing? Did she meet them in Italy and bring them back?My mind ran crazy and I decided that I was going to stay outside of her hotel to figure it out for myself. Who was this mysterious man and what was he doing to try and win her over?My blood boiled underneath my skin as I sat in a rented car that Emelia wouldn't recognize. I sat for hours
Emelia's POV"I'll call you back, bestie!" I said in a hushed and rushed tone.Alexis laughed and wiggled her eyebrows. "Yes you will!"I hung up and got up from my desk as Mason closed the distance and pulled me in for a hug. The shock of seeing him here made my limbs go numb that I couldn't even return his embrace.He then pulled away while his hands stayed at the sides of my arms. The way he looked at me was like he couldn't believe I was real.We stayed like that for a little bit; looking at each other in bewilderment at the other's physical existence, but also with happiness. Neither of us could believe we'd be standing right in front of each other so soon."It's really good to see you, Emelia." His soft voice finally broke the silence."Ditto." I smiled. "But what are you doing here? I thought you were busy back in Silver Springs?""I *was* busy." He smirked. "Everything's good now. Plus, I couldn't bear to be so close yet so far from you.""You're so dramatic!" I laughed."Belie
Emelia's POVThe Collective held its grand opening this morning. To see all of my hard work and dedication culminate into this amazing event and physical storefront was nothing short of a dream come true.My heart raced as I cut that red ribbon, signaling that the doors were open to the public. So many people poured in that even a line had to form outside to keep the place from overcrowding. Hearing everyone's praises and excitement fueled my happiness and sense of fulfillment.*I* worked towards this.*I* made this happen.*I* did it!After years of all the blood, sweat, and tears that I've shed in my fight for a better future, it was finally here.For once, I felt pride in myself.Kathleen's models were absolutely beautiful, and each of them wore my creations like works of art. Alexis's assistant, Mikayla, was working her magic with capturing photos and videos of everything to its littlest detail.I wore a wide smile on my face so often to the point that my cheeks were hurting. This